Sheet or halyard winches



Aug. 28, 1962 J. MOULTON SHEET 0R HALYARD WINCHES Filed Nov. 27, 1959 INVENTOR. Z. J. M001. TON BY @fhu/ rroe/vsv United States Patent Gfiice 3,05LM5 Patented Aug. 28, 1962 3,051,445 SHEET R HALYARD WINtIHES Lloyd Jackson Moulton, Marblehead, Mass, assignor to Curtiss-Wright Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 27, 1959, Ser. No. 855,624 6 Claims. (Cl. 254-150) The present invention relates to sailing aid, deck and reel type, winches for the running rigging of sailing vessels. It enables effectual and silent hauling in and paying out and staying of sail control rigging and the like, e.g. sheets and halyards, in a novel manner, so far as I know. Objects of the invention not indicated above will become apparent from the following description of two illustrative forms of the present invention as shown in the accompanying drawing. The essential characteristics are summarized in the appended claims.

In the drawing FIG. 1 is a fragmentary schematic perspective view of a sailboat having one illustrated form of the present invention applied to control the position of a working jib. FIG. 2 is a vertical central sectional small scale view of an embodiment of the invention arranged as a lower drive silent ratchet like winch and sheet lock. FIG. 3 is a similar view of an alternate form arranged as a top drive or'top action winch, as for halyards.

The lower drive winch mechanism 16 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, comprises as shown a handle or crank I mounted on-an attaching base 3 for turnably supporting the handle 1 and a winch head or drum member 2 of generally hour glass or capstan shape. The winch head 2 is turnably mounted on a cylindrical stub portion 3a of the base, being preferably secured as by a shouldered screw 6 on the working axis L of the various parts of the winch mechanism.

To enable the head 2 to be turned in desirably small or large increments as for inching in a load attached to the head, coaxial internal clutch drum surfaces 12 and 13 of approximately equal diameter formed in a hub portion 14 of the handle 1 and in the interior of the head member 2 are bridged by a full floating self energizing helical clutch spring or spring member 4 of well known form and function preloaded on the surfaces 12 and 13. Full floating signifies that the spring is attached to its associated drums solely by the preloading. Helical clutch spring 4 serves as a silent ratchet like overrunning clutch connection between the handle 1 and winch head 2.

In order to hold the load between strokes of the handle a helical brake spring generally similar to spring 4 but of the contracting-to-grip, full floating type bridges or embraces external drum surfaces 15 and 16 respectively of a cylindrical portion 17 of the base 3 and a sleeve-like operatingly integral portion 18 of winch head 2, the spring being preloaded on its drum surfaces 15 and 16. Brake drum surfaces 15 and 16 terminate toward each other at a narrow crossover gap 20 and the clutch drum surfaces 12 and 13 terminate similarly at a narrow crossover gap 21. The braking or locking spring 5 in the particular arrangement of winch mechanism shown in FIG. 2 is coiled or wound oppositely of clutch spring 4 (e.g. spring 4 left hand wound and spring 5 right hand wound). Thus braking or locking spring 5 overruns freely during clockwise motions of the handle 1, winch viewed from above it, while the clutch spring 4 is tightly gripping its associated drum surfaces 12 and 13 and tightly locking the winch head 2 against reverse movement while the handle is being turned counterclockwise or is allowed to remain motionless.

The winch mechanism can of course be mounted in any conceivable position, e.g. vertical, horizontal, etc. on deck or mast or stanchion as by screws 25 in the base 3; the bearing surfaces 26 and 27 between the winch head 2 and portions of the base as will be apparent and the reception spaces for the clutch and locking helical springs can be supplied with lubricant through an oil hole 30 formed in the winch head as will be apparent. Use of the shouldered screw 6 (shoulder at (it!) for tight engagement with the top of the stub 3a helps to maintain proper axial spacing of the parts defining the crossover gaps 20 and 21 and avoids having to lock the screw 6 against becoming loosened.

The effectively single annular cavity or reception space 32 for the helical springs 4 and 5 of the construction as illustrated in FIG. 2 is maintained substantially closed against entrance of undesirable foreign matter (notably salt water) into the cavity 32 by the various telescoping, free running, peripheral or radial bearing surfaces formed on parts 1, 2 and 3 and by fairly closely fitted axially abutting bearing surfaces and the illustrated labyrinth type joints, as between the hub portions of handle 1 and the base and winch head parts.

Optionally the attaching screws 25 for the base part 3 of the winch assembly according to FIG. 2 can be as shown in that view so that the heads of the screws are fully concealed, or the screw heads can be fully exposed to facilitate installation or as will be explained in connection with FIG. 3.

For use in salt water sailing, corrosion resistant materials for the main parts 1, 2 and 3 are recommended, e.g., cast bronze or stainless steel; and suitable materials for the two helical springs are stainless steel or monel metal. Conventional seal rings (not shown) can be utilized at any axially or radially adjacent surfaces of the parts 1, 2 and 3, particularly if the helical springs are of conventional ferrous metal, in which case (or in any case) the spring pockets can be charged with a permanent supply of grease or other lubricant or can be supplied occasionally through suitable fittings not shown.

In the top drive winch assembly or construction 16' according to FIG. 3 the various parts which correspond functionally to those of FIG. 2 are given the same reference numbers but primed. Reception space for the clutch and brake springs 4' and 5' is in this case divided by a partition portion 33 in the otherwise generally hollow winch head 2. The handle 1' can of course 'be a conventional crank if desired (not shown). Handle 1' has its clutch drum constituting hub or shank portion 14 formed to occupy a complementary cavity in the top of the winch head member 2' for coaction with clutch spring 4' located in portion 32 of the spring reception space and comprising an annular recess or double spring pocket concentric with working axis L' and formed as will be apparent from inspection. The handle 1' and winch head 2' are laterally supported and secured in place by a fixed rigid shaft or column shown as constituted by a fairly large diameter shank portion 6" of screw 6' which enters the base 3 and is shouldered against it as shown. The brake spring 5 is located in portion 32 of the spring reception space formed between the winch head 2' and base 3 concentric with the working axis L. The mounting screws 25 for the base 3 are in lateral extensions 35 of the base 3, one shown, lying outwardly from the lower portion of the winch head 2, so that the winch assembly 10' does not have to be disassembled in order to mount it as on the ship deck, mast or the like for operation.

For the same directions of operation as described above in connection with FIG. 2, the halyard type winch 10' has two right hand wound or coiled springs 4 and 5 which can be identical in dimensions or as shown, one spring being arranged contractingly to grip its associated drum surfaces and the other spring being arranged expandingly to grip its associated drum surfaces.

FIG. 1 shows the sheet winch 10 of FIG. 2 in convenient position on a boat deck D for operation to control jib I. Jib sheet S runs from the clew of the jib through a suitable swivel pulley P; the sheet is wrapped one or more turns around the winch head or drum 2, and the fall or tail S of the sheet is manipulated by the sailor as Will be evident in order to take in or extend sail. Paying out of the sheet S usually requires only relaxing of tension on the tail or fall S, depending on wind pressure on the jib and on the number of turns of the sheet S about the winch head 2. The operation is essentially identical with the manner of employment of double ratchet sheet winches of generally used type or form except for the very favorable position of the operating handle 1 of the present construction and for the fact that no clicking noise, as of pawls on ratchet wheels, can, during races, be heard by competitors in the races.

As will be evident from the above description and inspection of FIGS. 2 and 3, the present invention meets the principal requirements of use, viz: (a) sailor or user must always be able freely to pull in on the sheet or halyard, ([1) must be able to snub the load as on a rigid non-rotatable post and must be able to operate the handle ratchetwise (e.g. in steps) and, at least for hauling in halyards, be able to effect to and fro as well as 360 or full turn operation of the handle or crank.

The halyard type winch of KG. 3 can be mounted on a sailing vessel or other boat wherever or in whatever position is desired or necessary, and it allows indexing as with ratchetlike action as well as full turning operations of the handle or crank 11 in moving the load to be hauled, and also blocks retrograde, e.g. counterclockwise, movement of the winch head 2 the same as was described in connection with the sheet winch 10 of FIG. 2.

I claim:

'1. A sheet or halyard winch mechanism comprising a self contained assembly including a winch head part, an

operating part for the winch head part and a base part,-

said parts interfitting so as to be relatively turnable about a common fixed axis intersecting the base part, said parts being formed to provide a single substantially closed generally cylindrical reception space within the assembly for two helical springs, an overrunning or one-way-gripin" clutch snrin and a one Wa lockin overrunnin brake spring in said space, the clutch spring bridging two axially aligned circular clutch drum surfaces operatingly. integral with the operating part and winch head part respectively within said space, and the brake spring bridging two axially aligned brake drum surfaces operatingly integral with the winch head part and the base part respectively within said space, the springs respectively gripping and locking to produce and block respectively relatively opposite angular movements of the winch head part without interfering with relatively opposite or to and fro angular movements of the operating part.

2. The winch mechanism according to claim 1, wherein said parts are in stacked relatively telescoping, mutually guiding relationship along the common axis with the operating part disposed between the base part and winch head part.

3. The winch mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the clutch spring surrounds the brake spring, the clutch spring being of the expanding-to-grip type and the brake spring being of the contracting-to-grip type.

4. The winch mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the winch-head-operating part is interposed axially between the base part and winch head part.

5. A winch mechanism for use on board a vessel and comprising a base adapted for attachment to a deck, mast or the like, a generally hollow winch head rotatable on a fixed axis intersecting the base, a handle having a hub portion journaled on the base so that it can rotate on said axis independently of the winch head, two axially adjacent c rcular clutch drum surfaces on the handle and winch head respectively, two axially adjacent brake drum surfaces on the winch head and base respectively, an overrunning helical clutch spring bridging the clutch drum surfaces in preloaded full floating relationship to both drum surfaces for enabling silent ratchetlike or indexing operations of the winch head by to and fro angular movement of the handle, and a helical one-way locking brake spring bridging the brake drum surfaces in preloaded full floating relationship to both brake drum surfaces to hold a load operatingly engaged with the winch head against retrogressive angular movement, the brake and clutch drum surfaces of the hollow winch head being disposed entirely therewithin, and the head, base and handle hub portion telescoping and interfitting so as to enclose all the drum surfaces and both helical springs.

6. A lower drive silent ratchetlike winch mechanism, comprising a base which, when attached to a horizontal surface, has an upstanding column of circular cross section operatingly integral therewith and having three upwardly successively reduced diameter circular stepped portions, an operating handle having a hub portion guided for angular movement about the axis of the column by the lowest step, said hub portion having a rigid upstanding circular sleeve portion, a winch head of general cup shaped form disposed in inverted position and with its depending rim portion embracing the sleeve portion of the operating handle as a radial bearing support, the winch head having a cylindrical counterbore upwardly from its rim portion of approximately equal diameter with the interior of said hub sleeve portion and a depending internal sleeve portion embracing the topmost step of the column coaxial therewith for radial support, a helical overrunning brake spring 7 bridging and embracing the exterior periphery of the second column step and the depending sleeve portion of the Winch head, a helical overrunning clutch spring bridging and frictionally engaging the interior of the handle hub sleeve portion and said counterbore surface of the winch head, and a screw extending through an axial bore in an upper wall of the winch head and in threaded engagement with the top step portion of the column to secure the winch head to the base.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,264,555 Rogers Dec. 2, 1941 2,575,012 Harvey Nov. 13, 1951 2,751,773 Woodson June 26, 1956 2,830,776 Polhernus Apr. 15, 1958 2,885,896 Hungerford et al May 12, 1959 

